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Just watched the 60 Minute segment on these lobbyists. What a freakin' joke. The bill which was written by lobbyist, prohibited medicare from negotiating on the price of drugs. So, compared to drugs purchased through the V.A. (which is able to negotiate), the price is 3 to 4 times higher. Congressmen who pushed the bill through, have taken jobs with the drug or lobbyists after the bill became law. One Congressman is being paid $2 million a year in salary after Bush signed the bill. Everyone is a winner, politicians get money for campaigns or in new jobs, the pharmaceutical companies get windfall profits and the elderly get to meet their maker, much, much sooner. God Bless our Government.

I don't get why it makes the elderly die sooner ? (I didn't watch the show).

Personally I would prefer no drug coverage. For Medicare or through insurance (yes, that includes me). There's no God given right to drugs and if everyone had to pay for them they would be sold at the market price no the pseudo price we all pay for in the long run.

I don't get why it makes the elderly die sooner ? (I didn't watch the show).

Personally I would prefer no drug coverage. For Medicare or through insurance (yes, that includes me). There's no God given right to drugs and if everyone had to pay for them they would be sold at the market price no the pseudo price we all pay for in the long run.

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God-given right? Who siad our rights are God-given? Racketeering is another facet of this issue. Influence peddling is a crime.

Why do the elderly die earlier? Because they cannot afford the drugs. That congressional session was a sham. An auditor of some type, came up with an outrageous figure of what this bill would cost (which was the correct amount), and was told he would be fired if he stated the cost while the bill was in session. The time frame in which the votes were cast was held open for hours so that lobbyists and politicians with power (Tom Delay) could blackmail other politicians into voting for the bill. The bill was finally passed..............at 3AM. This was dirty, filthy and unethical use of power. Whether you believe in Medicare or not, this was wrong. Oh and as far as your personal health coverage is concerned, thank these politicians when your coverage goes up.

Thomas Jefferson and the folks who signed the Declaration of Independence.

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The DofI isn't a legal document and has nothing to do with US Law. Laws and rights are outlined in the Constitution and Bill of Rights, but you knew that, huh. What about the influence peddling and racketeering?

Thomas Jefferson and the folks who signed the Declaration of Independence.

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I'm sure they had their religious beliefs to guide them, but unlike some people today, they had the sense to leave them out of our legal framework.

As far as no right to drugs... that's a wacky kinda thing to say, and I'd feel weird even debating it since I have no real philosophical view one way or another, but since when has insurance been about rights? Insurance has always been about spreading risk. How would you eliminate private insurnace without some kind of communistic "no insurance for the good of the state" decree? If we drop health insurance, are we also going to drop car insurance, homeowner's insurance, and everything other kind of insurance

A lot of people around here claim to be Libertarian - do you think Libertarians support government purchased drugs ?

Get out of the business. Let market forces set the price. We pay less taxes/insurance and have more money for other things, like drugs as needed. Getting them for free, or close to it, artificially increases the number of users and lets companies set the prices artificially high.

A lot of people around here claim to be Libertarian - do you think Libertarians support government purchased drugs ?

Get out of the business. Let market forces set the price. We pay less taxes/insurance and have more money for other things, like drugs as needed. Getting them for free, or close to it, artificially increases the number of users and lets companies set the prices artificially high.

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Forget what other people claim, worry about what you claim. As far as I know you've never claimed to be a communist, yet you'd outlaw the whole notion of private health insurance? Sometimes I wonder how strongly you believe things you say.

Forget what other people claim, worry about what you claim. As far as I know you've never claimed to be a communist, yet you'd outlaw the whole notion of private health insurance? Sometimes I wonder how strongly you believe things you say.

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I believe everything I say (type), that's not to say that I have a complete and infallible implementation. Those of you who complain about big drug companies should support drugs being subject to market forces - right now they are not. We get them almost for free so we don't care what they cost. Same for doctor's visits. I pay my $20 or so co-pay and don't worry about my 5 minute appointment being billed for $75 - because I'm not paying it.

I believe everything I say (type), that's not to say that I have a complete and infallible implementation. Those of you who complain about big drug companies should support drugs being subject to market forces - right now they are not. We get them almost for free so we don't care what they cost. Same for doctor's visits. I pay my $20 or so co-pay and don't worry about my 5 minute appointment being billed for $75 - because I'm not paying it.

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I agree when I go to the pharmacy, I always feel bad for the old folks who have to write out big checks for the scripts they need... right now my plan pays for 90% of the prescriptions I need.. it seems pretty far away, but in 5 years I get to look more closely at this issue as I will be medicare. Pretty confident at that time my views will change.

A lot of people around here claim to be Libertarian - do you think Libertarians support government purchased drugs ?

Get out of the business. Let market forces set the price. We pay less taxes/insurance and have more money for other things, like drugs as needed. Getting them for free, or close to it, artificially increases the number of users and lets companies set the prices artificially high.

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I agree. It's because market forces aren't at play that makes drugs so expensive. So what about influence peddling and racketeering? That's what the thread was about.